Lewis Hamilton reveals “I couldn’t be myself wearing team gear, now I dress how I want”. Lewis Hamilton appears on the cover of Vogue ahead of the 2025 MET Gala.

Hamilton and the MET Gala
The relationship between Lewis Hamilton and fashion—and more specifically with the MET Gala, the annual charity fashion event held in New York—visibly demonstrates how the Formula 1 champion’s image has expanded beyond sport to embrace a broader public identity as a cultural icon and influencer in the fashion world.

In recent years, Lewis Hamilton has used the MET Gala as a platform to convey social and cultural messages, particularly in support of inclusion and diversity in the fashion industry.

His first invitation dates back to 2015, and since 2021 he has taken part more actively, attending the event in a look designed by African-American designer Kenneth Nicholson, and reserving a table to host emerging young Black designers. Ahead of the 2025 event on Monday, May 5, Lewis Hamilton stands out on the cover of the U.S. edition of Vogue. The magazine has dedicated a feature to him titled: “Lewis Hamilton on how to dress well, show up well, and not apologize.”

Lewis Hamilton’s reflections
The Ferrari driver said he was surprised that the 2025 MET Gala would celebrate the Black dandy, noting how “there are so many ways to show up as a man, not just in traditionally masculine ways,” and sharing his personal experience of how “Black men have always had to be more excellent than their white counterparts,” stressing that this is an issue close to his heart.

The Briton then described the beginning of his relationship with fashion, recalling how as a young man he would leave the house dressed one way “only to change along the way into baggy, flashy outfits and spend the best nights of my life.”

The theme of personal expression through clothing also struck him in Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton recalled his debut at McLaren: “When I signed for F1, I was only allowed to dress in team gear and it was awful. I didn’t feel comfortable and I couldn’t be myself. Eventually I had the courage to go beyond those limits and say: ‘I want to show up at the track the way I want.’ Now I’m here, and you can’t get rid of me or change the way I dress. The resistance was enormous, but once our sport saw the impact of my little runway, other drivers started doing the same.”

And it is precisely the deep connection between fashion and self-expression in Black culture that will be Lewis Hamilton’s central theme for the next MET Gala: “A message that can’t be erased.”